A Journey into Super Journalism
by Miss Rindesai
Summary: Lilliana Hudson was looking for a summer internship, any internship, to keep her in New York. Out of desperation she applies to Stark Industries, not ever imagining she'd be interning as an experimental writer for the Avengers Initiative. Can this normal college girl do justice to the story of the Avengers? A/U Speculation at the sequel cookie at the end of the credits. No Pair Yet
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: So I've been away from the fanfic world for a while, so forgive me. This fic is going to be A/U and I'm hoping to make it really well rounded. Constructive criticism is very much welcome. Ratings might change as I develop the characters a little more, and I might add a pairing. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avengers, their friends, brands, or families. I'm not Marvel/Disney you know. **_

**What I Did This Summer: A Journey into Super Journalism**

Chapter 1: Acing the Interview

As she approached the last summer break of her college career, all Lilliana Hudson wanted was an internship. Any internship. She was in desperation for the credits, GPA boost, and hopefully, the compensation, and being a Creative Writing and Theatre double major left her with plenty of opportunities in New York, but even more competition, especially when her small town background was taken into consideration. However, she never in a million years thought that her Journalism minor would be the deciding factor in the magical moment that Pepper Potts selected her out of nearly a million applicants to interview for the Stark Industries summer publicity intern. Yet, she received a call for an interview, and sat in a room with a dozen other eager applicants ready to meet Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. As the competition filtered in and out of the board room, some were sniffling; others maintaining confidence, Lilliana got nervous. However, she was not prepared for what awaited her on the other side of the door when Ms. Potts called her name.

At the sound of her name she stood, straightened her jacket, and confidently walked to the door, even though she was shaking inside. Inside there were two men, Tony Stark, of course, his dapper smirk plastered on his meticulously groomed face, and a small scratch above his left eyebrow, and a man that Lilliana would later identify as Nick Fury, a husky, yet muscular, dark skinned man, whose hands and head were peppered with scars and whom sported an eye patch with all the fury and mystery of the pirates of legend. A confused look must have crossed her face, because Tony snickered at Lilliana before motioning for her to sit at the empty chair across the table. She sat and placed her portfolio, a 2-inch thick, pastel, plaid binder, clearly labeled with her name, and stuffed full of renderings, writing samples, and references. She said a small prayer to herself before Pepper began telling the men all about her, more than she may have been comfortable with them knowing.

"Lilliana Hudson has just finished her junior year at CUNY Brooklyn, 3.6 GPA. Creative Writing and Theatre, minor in journalism. Cheerleading and Dance background, quit Karate lessons at age of twelve. Parents are middle-upper class, Massachusetts, Conservative Democrats. She wrote a piece for her Intro class on Iron Man, and the necessity of superheroes in a modern world. Four auto accidents, no speeding violations, she drives a 1998 Ford Ranger Standard. Not a single smudge on her criminal record and any teacher I've gotten ahold of says she's a fast learned and a great writer." Pepper stated, taking her seat next to Tony, and finally putting down the file she'd been reading from. "This is not an ordinary internship, but we advertised it to get a broad range of candidates. We're going to ask you some odd questions, but we need you to be honest, and if you aren't comfortable, you can leave at any time."

"Yes ma'am." Lillian replied, an uneasy smile crossing her pale face. Tony sat up from his comfortable slouch and cleared his throat, asserting his authority and arrogance.

"You like Iron Man?" Tony questioned. Pepper let out an aggravated sigh.

"You're a hero, Mr. Stark. I like people that sacrifice themselves for others, yes." Lilliana replied, not sure what the purpose of the question was, except to perhaps stroke his ego. "What you and the other Avengers did, was outstanding and brave."

"Would you be willing to write about it? Other things they did?" Fury interjected. Lilliana nodded. "What about lying? Falsifying records to protect public concerns?"

"I think sometimes it might be necessary, to protect not only heroes, but the regular people as well, I mean, if everyone knew how they did it, then think about the mass amounts of terrible things that could occur, normal people cannot handle the responsibility of being exempt from the rules!" Lilliana paraphrased points from one of her more recent papers, he had picked a passionate topic for her, and his satisfied grin was a greater relief than the eye roll and C+ she had received from her professor.

"What about entering life threatening situations?" Tony piped in. "Are you willing to put your life on the line for some credits and a couple grand?"

"At this point I'm more intrigued at the possibility of working with the Avengers than I am about the money or the grades. It would be an amazing experience, well worth the dangers." Lilliana brightened as the possibilities crossed her mind, a hopeful glint in her eye and a shudder of excitement. Pepper smiled at her, and Tony clapped his hands loudly. She'd nailed it.

"Don't get your hopes up, I need to run her files through my system, and you're not the only crazy fan girl running around New York with a dream. I think she's too good to be true and too opinionated for the position. Glorifying the initiative is the last thing we need, before we get other people asking to join." Fury ranted, snatching the file from in front of Pepper and walking out the door to the balcony. Lilliana swore she saw him grab ahold a ladder and fly away, or did she?

"Don't let him get you down. Someone will be in touch later in the week. I have a great feeling about it; you're the first file he took." Pepper beamed. Lilliana nodded, cautiously excited. "I love the sample articles I saw." She reached to shake the young girl's hand with a smile, which Lilliana returned.

"Thank you Ms. Potts." Lilliana replied. Tony grasped her hand with both of his and shook excitedly.

"You're the first one to offer their life up for us. I bet ole Fury was just fizzled it was a girl that manned up. I see great things in your future. Hey, Pepper, if Fury won't take her, get my publicists to hire her for the summer. She could do my image some good I'm sure. We'll let you know soon." Tony gushed; clearly pleased she provided the ego boost he'd been hoping for in this process.

"Thank you Mr. Stark!" Lilliana smiled. "Thank you both for your time." She left the office, knowing she had a position, but desperately hoping it was writing for the Avengers and not just Tony Stark. As she traveled back to her apartment, she texted her roommate to let her know she was staying for the summer, and Mary Jane Watson could not have been happier.

_**A/N: I have decided to write Mary Jane and Spiderman/Peter Parker in… please forgive me, but it was my pet peeve that he wasn't included in the movie, yet they set both in New York. I might not develop it any more than this, or I might make Spiderman an Avenger. I haven't decided yet, but I know that Fury is looking for more Avengers. So who knows where I will take it from here. **_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: It's wonderful to be back to writing. I've really taken off with this fiction, and I like where it's starting to go. Hopefully this inspiration lasts, and I can keep on this fantastic roll. Thank you for reading, and please feel free to review, I know I appreciated the one I got from ber1719. I'm glad that someone else saw the potential in this plot line. **

**My disclaimer still stands and I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 2: Going Up the Ladder**

For the next week Lilliana Hudson kept her phone on loud and never let it more than two feet from her. Every noise the device made caused her to jolt with excitement, and she was met with constant disappointment. The eighth day, the week passed, she gave up hope, figuring they had chosen another intern for both positions, and maybe part of her didn't blame them. The understanding rationale however, was no match for the disappointment, as she walked through the door to the apartment that evening after what had been an unforgiving practice, chucked her phone at the couch, and went to her room, collapsing on the bed. She woke no more than an hour later and never considered checking her phone before heading for the shower. As she got her towel out, and started the water she heard her ringtone, and for the first time in a few days, she ignored it and just took her shower in peace.

Standing under the stream of the shower and washed her hair, she sighed, wondering what flaws had cost her the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure, it could have been her less than perfect GPA, but she tried her best; some professors just didn't like the topics she chose to write about. Then there was her background, she came from the middle of Massachusetts, no fame, money, or glory. In fact, she relied on scholarships and odd jobs to afford her New York City education. However, old insecurities die hard, and she couldn't help but dwell on the slender perfection of Pepper Potts as she washed her own, thicker frame. She knew she wasn't fat, but she was far from the model like figure that she knew Tony Stark would want to be associated with. It was from a loss of control in middle school, leaving her pudgy, and the regaining of the control in high school, where working out turned the pudgy parts into toned muscle with just a layer of fluff that wouldn't go away, and she knew her breasts were larger than average, and while it would usually bring her pride, today it brought her insecurity. Stepping out of the shower and covering her body with the towel, she let it go, she worked hard for herself, and that's what mattered. She ran a comb through her chocolate hair, leaving it to touch the bottom of her shoulder blades. She padded out of the bathroom, steam following her from the room, and he heard Mary Jane talking to someone.

"That would be her! Lilly?" Mary Jane called down the hall. "You have some company!" She scurried back with an excited smile to her roommate.

"Who is it MJ?" Lilly asked her, confused by her smirk.

"A large man named 'Fury' and Tony Stark!" MJ squealed. Lilly's grin spread ear to ear until she realized she wasn't dressed. "Hurry up! Peter can only keep them entertained so long."

"Oh no! Help!" Lilly panicked and sprinted into her room, pulling MJ behind her, throwing on a modest sundress and putting her hair up in a bun. She nearly forgot under garments in her panic, but soon enough, with MJ's help, she was made up and presentable enough to meet with the men she hoped were her newest employers. When the girls entered the living room, Peter stormed out, looking frustrated, and MJ chased after him, confused and worried.

"Nice to finally get a hold of the girl we came here for." Tony Stark said, waving her phone at her from his lounged position on the couch. "Don't you ever answer this thing?" Lilly flushed with frustration, but took her phone to see she had three missed calls from Stark Industries.

"Sorry Mr. Stark, I just stepped away from it for a while." Lilly apologized; worried that she was already off to the wrong foot.

"It's fine Miss Hudson, but please, go and pack a bag for the week, we have things to do." Fury said sternly. "You're absence has already been reported."

"Yes Sir, thank you." Lilly did as she was told, a little wary that he already informed her coaches that she was leaving, but afraid that hesitation would cost her everything. She threw together a bag quickly, and definitely over packed, not knowing what her dress code would be. Soon enough she was following Tony Stark and Nick Fury out the door of her apartment building and into a waiting limousine.

They returned to Stark Industries, where Pepper met them at the door, rambling on about danger and staying safe to Tony, who dismissed her pleas with a snicker, but Lilly observed the desperation in his eyes when he clutched Pepper's hand in the elevator. The group went up to the top floor, where they joined two men in the midst of conversation. Lilly was introduced to Dr. Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers, both would be joining them on their trip. Tony, desperate for show off his newest designs, chose to put on his Iron Man suit, and then grabbed a kiss from Pepper and his suitcase before leading the group out the door to the balcony. As Lilly stepped outside she saw the long rope ladder that Nick Fury had begun to climb, and she got a little dizzy. Iron Man grabbed her suitcase from her and blasted up, skipping the tedious climb. Steve Rogers called Lilliana over, and had her go before him, and she ascended onto the SHIELD base, terrified of what was in store for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, I hope I'm not moving too fast for you all. I was having trouble setting this chapter up and then it sort of took off. I'm trying to set up a spectrum of relationships between Lilliana and the others, but I'm not sure just how far I want to go with some. Right now I'm researching a few pairings and such, I'm not sure where I'm going to go with it, and I think I'm going a little OOC in a few places, so I might edit later to change things.**

**Yesiamweird: Glad you like the Mary Jane idea! **

**Disclaimer Still Stands! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 3: The First Assignment **

Lilliana Hudson found her quarters to be overly shiny, and almost uncomfortable. She felt like she was in quarantine every time she was in her room for more than twenty minutes, and often found herself wandering around the headquarters, sometimes with a notebook as she began writing down everything she thought she could somehow use in the future. They had been in transit for two days, and the only thing she had done was meet Clint and Natasha, completing the Avengers available to her. No one really spoke to her much, but she understood they had to be fully informed of the situation before she could. Finally, on the third day, after traveling through a bizarre lightning storm, she was summoned into the conference room to be formally introduced to the avengers.

"This is Lilliana Hudson, she is an aspiring writer, and willing to put it all on the line to get us some power in the press, and hopefully convince people to not take advantage of a good thing, let us do our job, and be thankful." Tony announced, beaming and throwing an arm around her.

"She has no purpose other than scribbling in that notebook? No training?" Natasha questioned. "Is that even safe?"

"Tony underestimates her. She's physically apt to the challenges of this lifestyle, and we plan on, after getting agreement, getting her some basic training in. She at least needs to know how to shoot a gun." Agent Hill piped in.

"In the meantime, Thor's gotten us some important information, so let's give him our attention so we can figure out what we're doing about this Thanos." Fury ended all discussion of Lilliana for now, calming her nerves and she scribbled 'Thanos' in big letters on the top of her page. She looked up at Thor, a large, muscular blonde man, wearing some sort of mythical armor, and he smiled at her. She immediately looked back down and scribbled his name in her book, her cheeks slowly turning pink. She certainly was not used to being the center of attention, and wasn't about to be distracted by a dashing smile from a superhero, so instead she listened.

Thor described in detail this Thanos, a criminal from the Saturn moon Titan, of a race called Eternals, who had terrorized worlds. Thanos, driven by what Thor was speculated was insecurities like his own brother Loki, wanted to punish Earth by obtaining and using a 'Cosmic Cube' and then destroying the Earth with its power. Lilliana panicked for a second at the idea, and she felt her skin prickle. All of these people, that don't know, and maybe never would, about this threat. Dr. Banner must have noticed her panic, because he reached a work-worn hand over to her arm and squeezed. She looked at him, and his brotherly reassuring glance, and while she was still scared, she knew he was telling her they would make it right. She looked around the room, and saw a lot of the same determination in the eyes of the other Avengers. It was quiet, almost solemn, in the room as everyone absorbed the information. Then Fury stood up again.

"So, we need to get a plan together, and I'm calling in some more help. We also need a strong press reputation, hence Miss Hudson. If for some reason this Thanos lets word slip to the civilians through some sort of transmission, people are going to panic, more than they did with Loki, because he's not even human in appearance from what I understand. The more people that have confidence in the Avenger Iniative, the bigger we make it, the better." He told the room. "You need to give her whatever information she needs to get people to like you. You need the trust of the little grannies on the streets if we are going to keep control."

"What exactly do you need Hudson?" Natasha asked. Lilliana felt her anxiety rise, she wasn't prepared for this. She thought she would be summarizing events, not creating, and she had no plan.

"Well, I, well… um… okay, so I'm going to need a synopsis of your backgrounds. No personal identifying stuff for sure, but, like, why you're here. What makes you an Avenger? A hero even. Then maybe, any sort of unclassified info we have on the Loki thing. Thor if you could prepare something on his punishment? Then just, maybe more notes on Thanos, so I can prepare a press release on the situation in the event of a transmission." Lilliana rambled ideas, she noticed that her nerves made the pitch of her voice rise.

"What if, like, we don't want people knowing all of this?" Clint challenged her. Natasha flashed him a smirk. Lilliana knew that she wouldn't be everyone's favorite person, but she wasn't prepared for mocking.

"Whatever you want in there then, is fine. I'm not going to push anyone. If I don't feel like it's enough I'll do my own digging, just keep that in mind." She snapped back at him. Tony smiled at her, recognizing even more the spunk that had made him choose her for this. Lilliana barely noticed, as she started scribbling frantically in her notebook, trying to organize the ideas in her head before they vanished. Fury dismissed the group, but Lilliana kept writing in the board room, she didn't look up to notice the line in front of her until Fury finally cleared his throat.

"Hudson, I'm going to give you a very limited synopsis of SHIELD and ask that you work with what I give you, because it's important that only what I provide is revealed." He told her as she looked up at him.

"Yes Sir, no problem Mr. Fury." She replied, noticing Thor, Steve, and Bruce behind him.

"Also, I'm working on getting Spiderman to sign on with us, have you worked with him before?"

"No Sir, as much as I have tried, he won't sit for me. Only Peter Parker."

"Yea, I asked Mr. Parker, and he said he would talk to the web slinger for us, see about breaking tradition a little. I will certainly keep you posted. "

"Thank you Sir. It's an honor to help." She smiled as he turned, satisfied, and walked away. She reflected on her arguments with Peter about talking to Spiderman, and wondered if he would really change his mind about asking. She was jealous of Peter and his connections, and his relationship with MJ, she always felt like him stepping in the picture had changed everything for her. Thor waved a hand in front of her face, drawing her out of her thought pattern.

"I don't write." He said simply. "Not your writing at least."

"Oh, um, okay then. We will, I don't know. Do you use a tape recorder? Or could actually interview you?" She was a little shocked, but optimistic about an actual sit-down interview.

"Yes, tomorrow."

"Okay, just find me wandering and we'll work it out, whenever it's good for you. I know you'll be busy with training and planning and stuff." She replied, writing in her book about interviewing him, so she wouldn't forget.

"You don't look at me. Why?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm just rude I guess. Thoughts don't stay in my head. If I don't write them down right away, I forget them." She looked up and locked eyes with him. He smiled at her.

"You should look at people. You're pretty. See you tomorrow." He told her before walking away. She looked after him with the same raised eyebrow that Steve approached her with.

"Well, that was quirky." Steve commented, smiling. "Anyway, I didn't know how much you wanted about my public domain, so, where do you want me to start?"

"I'd like to have as much material as you'd let me Steve, your story is legend, it's incredible, Captain America saves the world years after he's thought to be dead… outstanding. I'm dying to assemble it all." Lilliana gushed.

"Okay then, I will get something together for you, and get it to you as soon as I can little lady." He shook her hand and walked off with a bounce in his step. Bruce didn't look pleased as he approached her.

"Listen, I don't want people knowing me and the big guy are one person. Can we do that?" he asked, concern overwhelming his face.

"Yea, no problem, should we maybe create a character, or do we want to give Hulk a back story?" She asked, scribbling in her notebook again.

"Well, people have seen me go green, so I guess, maybe just make up some guy and some accident or mutation or something."

"Yea, totally doable. No relation to the truth, sound good?"

"Perfect, thank you, and are you okay with all of this? You look a little young to be dealing with all this on your own."

"I'm a little nervous, but I'm okay. If it goes over well it will look AMAZING on a resume."

"Listen, not everything in life is about resumes. Don't forget to be normal once and a while. You look like a sweet girl, don't let this change you into some sort of over focused monster that doesn't do anything for yourself."

"Yea, okay, thank you. I mean, my whole life has been pretty normal, but I don't want to change much, and it's nice to hear that it's okay."

"I'm around, if you need something, okay? Adjusting to things is tough, and I don't know how much they let you tell your friends and family."

"Thank you Dr. Banner, it means a ton." She smiled at him. He nodded and walked away. Lilliana figured that he was feeling guilty about the way Natasha and Clint were treating her. She shook her head, and started writing again; trying to figure out what she was going to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So this chapter is a little shorter, but it means I have the next chapter all planned out. Hope to get it up in the next few days. I'm happy to see people are reading! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Making Friends with Coworkers Part 1**

Lilliana Hudson did not go to sleep the night after she was given her first assignment. She stayed up organizing her ideas and making several different outlines for her articles, as well as creating at press release about the Thanos situation, which gave just made her anxious and restless. At 3am, when she thought she would get some rest, she found her mind racing, and she got up and started wandering the base. It was quiet, and the lights had been dimmed, and she was able to wander around in the dark and reflect on her thoughts, until she noticed a light on down a hallway. She felt like she probably shouldn't be nosy, but who knows what she could find. She tiptoed down and peered in the corner of the window. It was Bruce, he was scribbling in a notebook of his own, working on his part of her article.

She watched him for a moment, his forehead crinkled with concentration, admiring how dedicated he was to covering his bases, knowing the other Avengers wouldn't be. She thought about his conversation with her earlier, and made the decision to knock on his door. He looked up, startled by the disturbance, his eyes flashing green, and had to take a few breaths before waving for her to come in. She came in and stood by the door, sort of smiling at him.

"Why are you up so late? You're going to be too tired for your first day of training tomorrow." Bruce asked her, looking back to his writing, correcting some parts.

"Stupid really, I can't sleep."

"This whole Thanos thing is really bugging you isn't it?"

"Sort of, I haven't spoken to my parents since I left for school." She sighed, and he looked up at her, concern starting to overwhelm his features. He felt that at 22, she was far too young to be alienated from her family.

"They didn't want you to go to the city."

"Bingo. It sucks not being able to go home, and just knowing I'm a disappointment and things are in jeopardy, makes me wish I could talk to them. You know?" She voice cracked, she was getting emotional, and hating herself for it. She didn't understand why it was so easy for her to open up to him, maybe she felt like he would help her, or maybe it was desperation for some sort of friendship here. Bruce was growing frustrated with her parents, and he could hear the big guy in the back of his mind.

"Yea, I understand. Have you tried calling?"

"Not since summer of my freshman year, when I was told they don't feed homeless actors." Her breath hitched as she replied, and Bruce cracked his knuckles.

"You've changed your major since then."

"Not really, journalism is my minor. I'm creative writing and theatre."

"So why aren't you in a theatre internship then?"

"Well, I didn't get called. Besides, this is an amazing opportunity. I love writing these sorts of things, getting to show a new perspective and investigation." She brightened up when she started talking about her writing, Bruce noticed, and he smiled a little, still frustrated with her parents.

"Well, maybe theatre isn't the career for you. Have you thought about journalism and creative writing? Seems like that would be more your thing. If this is what you really want to do with your life."

"The feeling of being on stage is even more amazing."

"So this is your backup plan."

"You could say that."

"Your parents can't respect that you at least set up a backup plan? That's ridiculous." Bruce fumed, slamming his pen onto the desk. Lilliana saw his eyes go green and she tensed up a little, ready to run from a power he couldn't control. His eyes grew sad as he looked at her, and then he looked down ashamed. Lilliana felt guilty for being afraid, and grabbed his arm in the same reassuring way that he had done for her earlier.

"We should change the subject Dr. Banner. I'm sorry to get you worked up. How's your writing going? Do you want any help?"

"You're too young to be exposed to all of this. I don't know what Stark was thinking. You're too innocent and trusting at this age. Everything isn't okay. Don't you understand?"

"I know what you can do. I'm not stupid; I'm afraid yes, because I know you can barely control him. I know Dr. Banner wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I'm not the only monster on this stupid base!" Bruce growled, slapping her arm away and getting up to pace the room, trying to control himself.

"I know all about SHIELD's inconsistencies, and I know about the nuke. I know that the government would destroy us before it would allow us to be destroyed. Why do you think I'm so nervous? Down there, they're all sheep! I want more than that, even if it's for a little while. Don't underestimate me Dr. Banner; I get enough of that down there." She was starting to get angry too, and stood up to face him. He looked at her, bewildered that she knew, and felt his control come back. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Do not underestimate Nick Fury. He's not a good man. You are too young to lose your life over some stupid internship, you need to go home and make up with your parents. It's no fun to have regrets, so don't start before you even graduate college."

"I don't plan on it. I know more than SHIELD acknowledges that I do." She smirked at him. He shook his head with a small smile, floored at how calm she made him after he was getting so angry. She played with the big guy, and won.

"Good, now go get some sleep. You'll be begging for it when they're kicking your ass tomorrow in training. They don't play."

"I'm not that out of shape. Good night Dr. Banner. Thanks for letting me talk to you."

"It's Bruce, and thank you Lilliana, for confiding in me. I'll have this writing for you in the morning, and sorry I got a little green on you."

"It's Lilly, and you have nothing to be sorry for." She smiled at him again before she turned and went back towards her room. She sighed as her door closed behind her, and sat down on her bed, taking out her phone and texting "Thanks" to Peter before she decided to get a little sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey, sorry this update took so long! I'm still working on the character of Lilliana, and how I want her to play out later in the story, so sometimes I have to sit on things for a while before I can publish. So, here it is. I had a review asking who Peter was, and that would be Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, who will be appearing soon as a minor character. So far I've decided my majors are going to be Lilliana, Bruce, and either Steve or Thor, still not sure which yet. As of now, I'm striving for a brotherly figure within Bruce, so hopefully that's what is coming across right now. **

**Disclaimer: Avengers and SHIELD and Spiderman are not mine!**

**Chapter 5: Training Day**

Lilliana Hudson hated to admit when other people were right, especially when they were right about her. At 6 AM, Agent Hill came and got her up, and took her down to the training gym, and proceeded to work her to a breaking point. Lilliana had always thought she was strong, and in shape, but keeping pace with Agent Hill on the treadmill after hardly two hours of sleep was excruciating. After the cardio, came the weight training, and Lilliana was grateful she could shine at something, years of lifting girls over her head had made her strong, and the people in the training room were pleasantly surprised after the disappointment of her cardio performance. Lilliana didn't notice them, because she was too busy being terrified of the part of her training that was slowly approaching. After weight training, Agent Hill took her to the small shooting range on the base, and for the first time, Lilliana Hudson held a gun. She felt her hands shaking, and she could barely focus on what Agent Hill was telling her.

"Just hold it steady, aim a little higher than where you want to hit, use two hands, and fire." Agent Hill told her gently, trying to understand the nerves in the young woman before her. Neither of them knew that the Avengers and Nick Fury were watching the session through the cameras. Lilliana held the gun towards the target, and couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. "Just take a breath, and let it go, it could save your life."

Upstairs Natasha snorted and Clint shook his head as they watched Lilliana finally pull the trigger, screech at the sound, and miss the target completely before putting the hand gun on the table and leaving the room, looking like she might cry. It was hard for Tony to hide his disappointment in this development, especially when he got the glare from Fury, confirming that they may not have made the right choice. Bruce shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think of a way to help her. However, it was Steve that sprang to action, recalling the first time he fired a gun, having a similar reaction, and ran downstairs to find her.

Steve found Lilliana sitting in the hallway outside the firing range, crying. He crouched down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, wiped her tears and shook her head. He stood up and offered a hand to help her up, which she took.

"I did almost the same thing the first time I fired a gun, granted I was twelve, but it can be a scary thing. Don't feel ashamed, but you have to go back in there and prove you can do it." He told her confidently. "We're watching you."

"Oh just great, so now everyone has seen me make a fool out of myself? I'm sorry, I never thought in a million years I would need to use a gun, and I'm just not prepared for the responsibility." She vented to him, looking away and down.

"Think of it this way. There may come a time when you, or someone you love, are in danger, and your only choice is to pull that trigger, and it's not going to do anyone any amount of good if you can't hit the target. You have to overcome this." He shifted to move to face her. He made eye contact with her, and she sniffled. "Listen, it gets better. Don't quit. You want to give them the satisfaction of you quitting?" She shook her head. "Go show Natasha what you're made of, what normal kids off the street like us can do. I know you can."

"Thank you." Lilliana said, her body quivering. She took a few deep breaths, nodded to Steve and went back into the firing range. Agent Hill smiled at her, and nodded to Steve, who was peering into the window to see how it would go this time.

"Are you ready to try again Hudson?" Agent Hill asked. Lilliana nodded, and shook her hands out before picking up the gun, aiming at the target, closing her eyes and firing, the noise made her jump, but she stayed with her eyes shut for a moment before peering nervously at the target. She had just grazed the corner of it, but it was better than nothing. "You have to keep your eyes opened, and stop jumping."

"Yes Ma'am." Lilliana said. She took another breath and tried again, this time managing to keep her eyes open at least, but barely hitting the target again. She fired off the rest of the rounds in the gun, receiving similar results and sighed. It was very tiring on her, mentally and physically.

"It will come in time. Let's take a break." Agent Hill told her. "You should eat and get some rest, especially since you didn't sleep last night."

"I find it incredibly frustrating that everyone knows everything about me all the time." Lilliana vented, setting down the gun once again.

"You get used to it, or you find a way of knowing things too." Agent Hill smiled. "You're doing really well, I hope you know, even if the boys think otherwise."

"Thank you." Lilliana smiled back, and the two women walked up to the mess hall together, ate lunch, and discussed future training plans. After lunch Lilliana took a shower, trying to scrub off the insecurities from her body, leaving her skin red and sensitive, she was tired of feeling like the outcast on the ship, she felt fat and useless, and she wanted to go home. After her shower she collapsed on her bed and cried again, but only until lack of sleep caught up to her and she dozed off.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, I just wasn't sure how much I wanted to add in as far as Thor went, then I got writer's block, and then I thought about hooking Thor and Lilliana up, but it's way too early! We will have to see where things go, but I promise a quicker update this time! Sorry it's short, again the writer's block, and I didn't want to hold it up anymore. I will start over on a new day in the next chapter. **

**Pergjithshme**** – Peter would be Peter Parker, aka Spiderman – but Lilliana doesn't know he's Spiderman, yet. **

**Camitake & Kitcool – I'm glad you like Lilliana's character so far!**

**Chapter Six: The Interview**

When Lilliana Hudson rolled over and opened her eyes, it took a few seconds for her to realize she was face to face with Thor. She jumped and swung her arm at him, screaming, but he batted her arm away and chuckled. She clambered out of her bed, falling on the floor and swore a few times, trying to get her heart rate to go down as she put her still moist hair up in a bun and threw a sweat shirt on over her camisole tank top.

"Why in the world were you in here watching me sleep? Aren't there cameras in here so you can watch me from a distance?" She shouted at the blonde.

"Well, you told me to come and talk to you today, and when I did you were sleeping, so I figured I would let you sleep a while. I grew bored, and decided to wake you up, you're a light sleeper." Thor replied, still chuckling. "I don't understand why you're mad. I didn't do anything besides blow on your neck and look at the pictures on your desk."

"Oh no, I am so sorry! I have a lot on my mind and I forgot you were coming!" She blushed and started ruffling through papers and getting together notes in a hurry. He laughed at her again, making her blush a deeper shade of pink as she found the papers she was looking for and a pen and sat down, offering him the seat across from her. He sat down, and looked at her, observing the furrow in her forehead as she concentrated and the way the muscles in her arm moved as she wrote.

"What are you writing? I haven't said anything yet." He commented, and she looked up.

"The history of your name, and how you've embraced it, I mean, assuming the identity of a Norse god, that's kind of clever."

"I am Thor. The Norse, they worshipped me, god or not."

"Funny, but you don't need to maintain the act with me."

"You don't believe me? I am Thor, Odin's son, by brother is Loki, and he wasn't pretending either. I do not come from your planet."

"Are you serious?" Her eyes widened, and then she started scribbling again. He chuckled again. "Do I amuse you a lot?"

"A Lot of things on this planet amuse me. You're only the newest thing."

"A lot of women?"

"No. Just one." She looked up at him, a small amount of concern in her eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and for the first time, as she cautiously took notes, he told her all about the earth woman who stole his heart and how he lost her to save others. This interview changed from a requirement, to finish her project, to a quest, to reunite Thor with the girl he lost, or at least give it a try.

As they finished their conversations, he offered to walk her to dinner, and she accepted. The pair had formed a nice bond, and he was telling her beautiful stories of all the wonderful things he had seen in his lifetime. She was truly overwhelmed in that moment, realizing how important what she was assigned would be in the long run, a history of the incredible people, and how lucky she was to be the one to record it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yay for quick update for once, lol! I hope the trend continues. I just pounded this chapter out in the last hour or so, and I'm hoping its ok. I'm keeping some secrets, but all will be answered in time, I promise. I'm sort of forming a solid base plot line at this point, and I think some of the filling is forming in my head too, which should make for occasionally quick updates and occasionally slow ones, please forgive me ahead of time. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven: Friends on the Job**

Lilliana Hudson rolled out of bed, dragged herself to her closet, and threw on her workout clothes before trudging into the gym. Halfway through her workout she was finally awake enough to notice the Amazing Spiderman working out with Steve, in full costume. It peaked her interest, and she couldn't help but wander over there and observe.

"Why don't you just tell her? It has to be hard to keep it from someone that entwined in your lives." Steve was saying. It hit a nerve with the webslinger, who started hitting harder.

"You don't get it, she'd freak out, and get all in my business and concerned with my safety. It would be a distraction to both of us. I'm already going to be paranoid about her when she's around dangerous stuff." He replied. Lilly knew that voice, she'd heard it almost every day for three years, and there was no mistaking it. A strange anger overwhelmed her and she walked over to the costumed hero and ripped the mask off his head.

"Damn you Peter! How dare you keep it a secret from me this long! Does MJ know?" She shouted, causing the room to quiet. He turned around quickly, snatched her wrist and dragged her forcefully out of the room.

"Why can't you ever stop eavesdropping on me you nosy little brat?" Peter shouted at her before the door closed behind them. She yanked her arm from his grasp, rubbing her already red wrist. He was fuming; she hadn't seen him this angry in a long time.

"Sorry for caring about you and MJ and wanting to get close to the hero that saved my life! Is that why you're here? To protect me? I don't need it!"

"Sure, that's why Tony got in touch with me and told me you couldn't fire a gun to save your life and he doubted you had any real skill at hand to hand combat. You're proving yourself so independent here. Face it, you don't have any skills other than you're writing, no matter how much you study your 'heroes.' And yea, it's my dream to babysit you for MJ!" Lilly screamed and swung a punch at him, he grabbed her fist hard, making it crack. She whimpered.

"You're really cruel today Peter." She said simply, before turning and walking towards her room. He looked after her, already regretting his words, and once she turned the corner, he could hear her sob before he turned back into the gym. As he looked around, he could see the many disapproving glares, and he turned and left after her.

Lilliana reached her room, her body still shaking with tears, and she started shoving her things in her bag. She was determined to resign and leave, even if it meant making the base stop to let her off on some remote island. If they had no faith in her, they should have let her go in person, not leave it up to Peter to tell her. Once her bag was packed, she sat down to pen a letter of immediate resignation when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it, and after seeing Peter, promptly gave him the finger and went to slam it in his face, but he stopped it, and allowed himself in.

"What are you doing Lilly?" He asked her, as she sat back down to her letter.

"Quitting." She replied curtly.

"The only job you've ever been excited about in your life?"

"If I'm not any good for it, then why am I here?"

"Tony didn't say that, it was just a questioning of your ability to defend yourself. If the base gets attacked, or you're on scene and become a target, you're screwed. That's why I agreed to come on board. I'm an extra set of eyes on you."

"I don't want to be babysat."

"I got carried away. I didn't want you to find out. I was going to tell you once I got you home safe. I don't want you to get distracted worrying about me."

"You're Spiderman Peter, it's a big deal, I've known you for three years, you practically live with us, and you saved my life! I deserved to know before now!"

"Maybe, but I don't like to tell people, I worry that if people know that I'm Spidey, they will become targets."

"Valiant, but if MJ is a target, and I'm her roommate… I'm fair game."

"Point noted. I'm sorry. It just, never felt right to tell you, especially after the nature of the rescue. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I've wanted to thank him every day for the past two years. I just, can't believe it's you."

"I know right? Dorky Peter is good for something."

"I better get interview rights." She laughed.

"We'll see. Maybe I can work it out with Jameson." He chuckled, and she wrapped him in a warm hug, enjoying the bond of their friendship, despite the anger. "You better rip up that letter, unpack, and get your butt to the firing range. By the way, you look great."

"Thanks Peter. I don't know why I got so mad. I just, want to be good enough on my own."

"Your writing is. You're shooting, not so much. It will come with time. They just don't have it."

Lilliana pulled out of the hug, and tore up her letter. Peter grabbed the pieces and threw them in the trash, and then he helped her unpack. They talked about MJ and what was new at home for a while, and about what it was like to live a double life while they were unknowingly being observed by Fury and Tony. Both men were glad that she was the key to getting Spiderman on board, but Tony felt a little guilty for using her and hoped they really could use her writing somehow.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It's been forever, I'm sorry. Here's the next part. School and family life have been crazy. I promise to work harder, especially now that I have so many ideas!**

**Chapter 8: The First Publication**

Lilliana Hudson had spent nearly three hours in the shooting range today, her arms were sore, she was pretty sure she'd broken one gun beyond repair, and gone through more shells than the range did in a day. She still couldn't hit the center of the target, or even the same spot twice; she was frustrated, dirty, and had the worst headache, despite the ear protection she'd been using. Nick Fury had been watching her all day, her determination puzzling him. Did she really not see that she didn't matter in the grand scheme of this project? He watched on as Bruce entered the room, the scientist had little to offer her in terms of shooting, but Fury had noticed he took special interest in this young writer, perhaps because she was so accepting of him, despite his condition.

"You know, if you're tired, it's going to make it worse." Bruce said, raising his voice so she'd hear him over her ear protection. She pulled the odd headphones off and shook her head at him.

"I just want to hit the same spot consistently, I want to do something right." Lilly vented to him.

"You're not aiming right if you're not hitting the same area regularly."

"Tell me about it, but no one seems to know what I'm doing wrong, either that or they're too busy to help the worthless reporter."

"You're not worthless."

"That's not what Peter hears."

"Do you listen to everything Peter says?"

"Pretty much, I've known him for years."

"He's been Spiderman for years. Maybe he's trying to push you by telling you that people doubt you. I know you've been working twice as hard since he got here."

"I don't want him to worry about me. When an attack comes, I want to be ready. I want to take care of myself; I don't want to be a liability. I'm getting the hang of the fighting, just not this."

"Well, maybe you could show me how you fight?"

"No, that's okay. I'd end up sparring with someone that would beat me flat on my butt. Peter's not here today, and he takes it easy on me for sure."

"So we'll ask Steve. He's on your side." It was with those words that Bruce Banner changed the course of the Avengers, because no one would ever look at Lilly the same. As he and Lilly headed to find Steve, joking around a little as they walked, they found him, in her room with Stark, leafing through her notebook.

"What are you doing? That's not edited!" Lilly panicked, running up and ripping the notebook away, hugging it close to her chest.

"Curiosity killed the cat?" Tony offered. Steve sighed and shook his head.

"We just wanted to see how it was coming, when you're not training, you're in here writing, but no one's seen anything from you yet. It's amazing though." He explained.

"Look, you guys can watch me from any camera you want and ask me anything and beat the tar out of me in training, but do NOT go through my stuff. It's not ready."

"It needs to be." Fury's voice came from the doorway, "the president wants a copy on his desk tomorrow morning, and he wants to use it as a briefing at the World Summit next week."

"Yes Sir. I will just need absolute peace while I finish, you'll have it by 5am." Lilly pleaded. "Hey Bruce, could I bug you to proofread some things for me?" He nodded and the others scurried out, Stark and Steve looking guilty as she glared at them. Once the door closed Lilly promptly sat on the floor and grunted with frustration.

"Hey, it will be okay." Bruce said, kneeling next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. She leaned her head on to it, pulled her notebook away from her chest and opened it, revealing to him the fruit of her labor. He took the book into his hands and began reading it carefully while she got up, pulled out her laptop, sat at her desk, and started typing away.

After about twenty minutes he closed the well-worn and almost full notebook, astonished at what he had read. He looked over at Lilly, whose brow was furrowed, she was fully enveloped in whatever she was doing, the young girl before him may not have been a strong fighter, or by any means competent with a gun, but if they really wanted a report about the Avengers, she was the best choice. The piece he had just finished not only glorified the Initiative, but each individual Avenger, and included two different biographical summaries for each, the truth, and a plainer version to please the public. She was a remarkable writer, and now, more than ever he couldn't understand why this wasn't her profession. It was hard for him, after reading the care she put in to flattering the choices he made that caused his accident, the events that made him in to a monster, not to feel enamored with her, and she must have felt his stare because she looked up at him.

"Something wrong?" She asked, concern overwhelming her tone.

"Lilly, this is amazing." He said simply, handing her the notebook. "You're an amazing writer."

"Thank you?" She seemed puzzled by the compliment. "Any notes?"

"No."

"You sure? No errors?"

"Maybe, and it's a big maybe, some grammatical issues your computer would pick up. What are you typing away at?"

"It's just a simple cover letter for the president and world summit. I've already typed both versions up; I'm just not sure which one Fury wants."

"I would go with the truth."

"Even for yours?"

"You made it sound like a tragedy."

"Wasn't it? You had a wonderful career, and a mistake changed your life forever. People need to give you the second chance you deserve Bruce, you're a wonderful man."

"Thank you Lilly." He looked into her overwhelmingly kind amber eyes, and heard a voice in the back of his head telling him 'no' as he kissed the top of her head. She smiled warmly and he watched as she scanned the typed version of her writing, overly critical on herself as she reread and reworded statements he found flawless. He noted her meticulous process, as he grew weary of standing by her and sat on her bed. As he drifted off to sleep to her rhythmic clicking, he couldn't help but feel she pushed herself in writing the way he had at his work before his mistake.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Quick Update! Yay me! This chapter is big, and a lot happens, but it's moving the action and pairing along quite nicely. I have created to possible love interests for Lilliana, but do not fret, I have it all planned out, it's the filler that gives me issue. **

**Chapter 9: Sleeping In**

Dr. Bruce Banner woke with a start, looking frantically around Lilliana Hudson's room for the young woman. He found her still at her computer, and glanced at his watch. It was past 4am, and she was still working steadily. He got up and stretched, walking sleepily over to her. She didn't even look away from the screen until he put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump.

"Calm down worker bee."

"I'm almost done."

"What did you do, rewrite it?"

"I wasn't sure if it was formal enough for the World Summit."

"It was perfect."

"It felt too personal. I'm getting ready to send it now."

"All right, send it and get in bed, you look exhausted." He told her, rubbing her back. Not sure why he was being this way with her, and cursing himself for getting attached. She listened though, a few clicks and she shut her laptop, stood up and shuffled to her bed, almost collapsing into it. He watched her for a moment, trying to get his mind in order, because he just couldn't determine where the need to help and take care of her came from. It was frustrating, he didn't want to get close to anyone, especially not here, but he couldn't help it, something about her was attractive to him. He shook it off, covered her up, turned off her light and left, taking his troubling thoughts back to his room, and debated going into the safe room to let the green guy vent.

There was no simpler way to put it; Tony Stark loved to be right. He loved to walk around, with a smug look on his face, and look at the defeated and frustrated face of the people that doubted his judgment or decisions. Today, he walked around with a thick copy of Lilliana Hudson's report on the Avenger Initiative rolled and tucked under his arm. The entire base had the opportunity to read it, and most were impressed by her writing to say the least. Any doubts on her hiring had been erased, only to be replaced with admiration for making each and every one of them sound important. It now became evident that Stark's demanding of her presence was the best thing for them, especially since the threat of Thanos was becoming more serious by the day, and they were going to need permission to work against him.

Lilliana Hudson enjoyed sleeping in, a lot. Most days she would have been happy to sleep until noon, but today was not most days. As she shot out of bed and dressed in a hurry, she was confused as to why her alarm hadn't gone off, or why Hill hadn't come in and ripped her out of bed by her pony tail, or Bruce hadn't come to find her for breakfast. Her mind then wandered to the connection he was trying to form with her, something more than friends, whatever it would be, it was something she didn't want. For them or for her, because of the nature of their job, anyone of them could die, and emotions made for endangerment. She was content in merely being an observer, despite her passion for them. She looked at her tired face in the mirror; she had thrown on a tank top and sweats, her hair in a messy bun, and slipped on her shoes, untied. Deciding to deal with it all later, she jogged down to the gym. Steve saw her and stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"Take it easy, you've been given the day off."

"Since when, are they kicking me off? Did he not like the article?" The panic that overwhelmed her face made him chuckle, and he shook his head.

"No, you've just been so busy writing it, he gave you the day off. Let the man be nice for once. Come to lunch, the gym will be there afterwards." He held his arm out to her and she took it with a nervous smile. They walked awhile in silence, both unsure of what to say.

"I liked what you wrote about me. It kind of captured everything in a new light."

"I'm glad you're okay with it."

"I never looked at it all in one place. It's overwhelming sometimes, everything I missed."

"So did you ever look her up when you thawed out?"

"Yes. She aged, gracefully, and is living in a suburb with her husband."

"I'm sorry Steve."

"I'm not. I'm glad she went on to live a full life, she has a beautiful family."

"Good for her, and you, for not being sad."

"I've been given another chance at life, and at love, what is there to be sad about?"

"Missing her."

"I was, for a while, bitter at everything I missed. Hated myself for not being here, but everything happens for a reason. She was right to move on."

"I agree. So after this you plan on doing the same?"

"Yea, I reckon I will, if I find the right woman."

"I hope you do."

"What are you doing for dinner?"

"Steve… I don't…"

"Don't say no."

"It's hardly professional."

"Is this a profession? Bruce says you want to be an actress."

"Still… we're coworkers in a sense."

"Please, just one dinner."

"Don't tell Fury?"

"Deal." He smiled warmly at her and she blushed. They walked into the mess hall and Tony, in his boasting, pulled her away from him, and walked her around, praising her and boasting to others how great she was. She saw Bruce and Steve talking across the room, and concentrated on reading their lips, to the point that she blocked out whatever Tony was saying about her. They both had smiles on their faces, and Bruce kept looking at her, and it was just getting overwhelming. She wasn't ready for all of this, and then her window of opportunity presented itself as Peter walked into the room, looking frantic, and pulled her away from everyone and out of the mess hall.

"You're going home, now." He commanded of her, pulling her down the hall to her room.

"What happened Peter?"

"I just got my hands on your briefing, and it is too dangerous for you!"

"I'm not a baby! Peter, I know what's going on and I'm ready. Clearly, or I would have left on my own. I have accepted every possibility. You can't make me leave."

"You can't even defend yourself." He yanked her arm roughly, but she pulled it back, pushing him away. Surprised, Peter stumbled backwards, needing his abilities to maintain balance.

"Spar me."

"You'll lose."

"Only if you use your advantage over me."

"Everyone will always have an advantage over you. Everyone on this base, everyone that will come after you because of this, and everyone who catches you off guard will beat you. Just like two years ago when I saved you from that gang." Now he was yelling at her, a part of him angry at her foolishness and he pushed her back, not realizing how much force he used and she hit the wall behind her hard enough to wind her. Within seconds after she hit Steve was at her side and Bruce had Peter pinned to the opposite walls, his veins pulsating and his eyes flickering that dangerous green color.

"That's no way to treat a lady Parker." Steve snapped, bracing her while she grabbed the back of her head. "I think you ought to apologize."

"I won't apologize for trying to save her. This is no place for someone like her. If you want what's best for her, like MJ and I do, you'll tell her to go home. She did her job."

"She's a smart young lady that can make her own choices, right Big Guy? Why don't we let Spidey go?" Tony had joined the group in the hall, and was barring the door from anymore company. Bruce pushed Peter in the wall and walked over to Lilly's other side, concerned as he realized how fragile she really was.

"Bruce agrees with Peter." Lilly said softly. "Do you, Steve?"

"I don't have a choice in what you do Sugar."

"Yes then?" Lilly shook the boys off and walked back to her room, hopped in the shower, and washed the insecurities away again.


End file.
